The Patriots Daily Bites of American History Series 9, Volume 2:The war with Tripoli

According to Barnes Public US History School Book 1885: The war with Tripoli:

Some of the most important events in our history happened during Thomas Jefferson’s two terms. There were several half savage states in the northern part of Africa. They were called the “Barbary States.” The people of these states, instead of following peaceful occupations, lived by sending out pirate ships to capture the vessels of other nations.

They not only took the ship and cargo but they made slaves of those on board. When a man fell into their hands he found himself in slavery for life unless rescued by his friends. Many Americans were captured in this way but at last during Washington’s administration a treaty was made with the piratical nation in Africa. In this treaty the United states offered to pay them a large sum of money at once and a smaller amount each year as long as they would stop molesting American ships.

The people of Tripoli, one of these piratical states in Africa, did not keep their part of the bargain. Almost as soon as Jefferson became president (1801) he resolved to take a decided stand in the matter. He maintained it was wrong for United States to pay tribute to any nation or people. Instead of bribing the pirates to leave America alone he said we ought to make them behave properly and punish them when they seized our ships or people.

So when Tripoli no longer received the customary tribute from United States they declared war of United States. At that time we only had six war ships and Jefferson sent four of them out against the pirates. One of the ships, the Philadelphia ran aground in the harbor of Tripoli and was captured.

A gallant young officer, Lieutenant Decatur, determined that the pirates must not be permitted to retain the Philadelphia, took a small crew of American sailors on board a little vessel and sailed into the harbor of Tripoli, boarded the ship and in a hand to hand fight threw the pirates crew into the water. As the Philadelphia was aground they could not sail away with her but they set her on fire and in the face of furious cannon shots from the forts surrounding them they sailed away unharmed.

This was a very heroic deed. The war began in 1801 and by 1805 Tripoli was so badly punished that they were only too glad to seek peace.

In case You Missed our Constitution series or just want to Refresher ,we have the complete series below.

There is Nothing Wrong with the Constitution it's the people we elected to uphold their oaths ,That are the Problems .

This my friends is where all our hopes and dreams ,Freedoms ,Liberties were formed some 240 years ago ,by a group of men with foresight to see way down the road for what is today. The Greatest Country in the World,And Still Is,as long as WE THE PEOPLE STAND UP FOR OUR FREEDOMS